Throughout high school, people are judged by what they wear. Seniors on May 1 might think they’re less than a month away from escaping that constant pressure, but they’ve actually just embarked on the worst day of them all: College T-Shirt Day.

Seniors going to college have until May 1 to decide where they’ll spend the next four years. A tradition at Algonquin is to wear a t-shirt from the school you’re attending, which is meant to be a positive celebration of all the work you have done throughout high school, but it can instead lead to people feeling jealous of others, or bad about their own decisions.

The tradition of College T-Shirt Day emphasizes the value of the traditional path and reinforces the competitive nature of our school.

Not everyone goes to college after high school. With Algonquin being a very competitive, college preparatory high school, students don’t always see the alternative paths beyond high school, such as going straight into the workforce, taking a gap year or going into the military. While someone could choose to wear a shirt to represent those alternative future plans, College T-Shirt Day singles these students out.

Another reason why College T-Shirt Day has to go is because not everyone can get a shirt. If your college is eight hours away, you can’t take a quick trip to pick up a shirt for this day. Granted you could order it online, if you make your final decision well before May 1. Otherwise, the likelihood of it coming in time for that date is slim. Plus, feeling pressured to purchase a shirt to show off your choice is yet another expense that not everyone may be able to afford, especially after having to pay a hefty down payment to their school.

Instant judgement pops into most people’s heads as soon as they see the name of the school a senior is wearing. People seem smarter when they wear a shirt of a more competitive school, yet people in “easy schools” can be more successful than people in “good schools.” Of course, some of the smartest students may choose to go to a more affordable state school or community college, but they are often not as celebrated as those wearing shirts to more prestigious, expensive private schools despite their intelligence.

Not only would it be hard to look at people wearing shirts to colleges that you did not get into, it would be easy for people to get jealous of students attending expensive schools if they don’t have that kind of money, and it could possibly make them feel bad about their own decision.

It might be hard, but people can avoid looking at where others got into college when it is posted on Instagram. However, seeing other students’ schools is inevitable when it is brought to school and literally in their faces when sitting in class or walking down the hall. Everyone should celebrate their success of (almost) graduating from high school and having a plan for the future. Many people have graduation parties where their family and friends celebrate all of their accomplishments and wish them good luck for their next chapter. However, for some, College T-Shirt Day brings down the excitement for the future.